digital publishing award 2025 – dip your toe into Buchbranche again

Normalerweise blogge ich hier ja kaum über meine nebenberuflichen Tätigkeiten. (Eigentlich auch kaum über den Hauptberuf.) Wenn das Thema hier behandelt wird, dann in Form des dpr Bibliotheken. Seit Ende 2024 gab es aber ein wesentlich größeres Projekt, das ich zusammen mit dem digital publishing report gemacht habe: den 8. und diesmal internationalen digital publishing award. Damit das Thema hier nicht untergeht, reposte ich einfach mal die Pressemeldung und ein paar Bilder der Preisverleihung am 15.10.25.

Es war sehr nett, mit diesem Projekt mal wieder einen längeren und tieferen Abstecher in die Publishing-Welt zu machen. Alleine die Frankfurter Buchmesse zu besuchen und – eher zufällig – viele Leute wiederzusehen war schon sehr nostalgisch. (Auch wenn es immer weniger Ausstellende werden, jedenfalls nicht vergleichbar zu den Messen zwischen 2009 und 2017, die ich „damals“ besucht habe.)

Ich bin gespannt, ob und wie es nächstes Jahr mit dem Award weitergeht. Jetzt freue ich mich allerdings darauf, dass meine „freien“ Montage nach einem guten Jahr auch wirklich mal wieder „meine“ und „frei“ sind. Und nachdem ich im Hauptjob momentan deutlich mehr zu tun habe als vor einem guten Jahr, freue ich mich auch darauf, mich mal wieder mehr auf eine Sache fokussieren zu können.

Celebrating global innovation in AI, accessibility and discoverability

(Original)

International digital publishing award honors innovators from US, Kenya and Europe

The winners of this year’s digital publishing award were announced today at a major stage event at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The selection of winners reflects the diversity of solutions with which the industry is responding to the challenges of the AI revolution, inclusion and discoverability.

• PRODUCT / BUSINESS MODEL: eKitabu’s Digital Story Time delivers accessible early-grade reading materials in Kenyan Sign Language.
• PROCESS / TECHNOLOGY: EARS by Miutbooks is a cloud-based SaaS platform that streamlines every stage of audiobook production, solving day-to-day pains of publishers and studios.
• START-UP: Shimmr drives discoverability and book sales ​by creating and deploying ​automated, end-to-end advertising.
• DIGITAL LEADER(SHIP): Virginie Clayssen has dedicated over four decades to advancing the sector’s evolution from traditional print to digital frontiers.

In her keynote speech, „Beyond the Page. How African Innovators Are Reimagining Publishing“, Ama Dadson built a bridge to the winner in the Product/Business Model category, eKitabu’s Digital Story Time. Innovations in the industry are no longer primarily taking place in the major Western book markets, but also on the fringes, sometimes in cooperation with Western companies.

The jury praised the consistently high quality of submissions, which included noteworthy discoveries even for experienced members. As in previous years, audio, Edtech and AI emerged as primary themes. Notably, AI applications are now integrated as core features within products and services rather than appearing as standalone tools.

The award is sponsored by Bookwire, Beat Technology, and Zebralution Digital Publishing, with support from Frankfurter Buchmesse, EDRLab, and Publishers Without Borders. It is presented by digital publishing report and Publishing Perspectives.

The winners

PRODUCT / BUSINESS MODEL (powered by Bookwire): eKitabu / Digital Story Time

Digital Story Time by eKitabu Studio KSL wins in Product and Business Model for transforming education for deaf children across Africa. This team has created over 350 sign language storybooks in six African languages, reaching millions. Their model combines social mission with financial sustainability, now enhanced by AI that assesses signed responses. This award celebrates a breakthrough: proof that centering marginalized voices can drive both impact and scale.

PROCESS / TECHNOLOGY: Miutbooks / EARS

EARS by Miutbooks wins in Process and Technology for revolutionizing audiobook production. Built by industry professionals who understood the sector’s pain points, EARS consolidates the entire workflow—from recording to delivery—into one cloud platform. Major publishers like Penguin Random House and Saga Egmont already trust it. The result? Teams focus on storytelling, not technical hurdles. This award celebrates EARS as a catalyst for quality and growth in audiobook production.

START-UP (powered by Beat Technology): Shimmr AI

Shimmr wins the Startup award for transforming book discoverability through AI. Their BookDNA technology analyzes each title’s themes and generates compelling ads that deliver six times higher engagement than industry benchmarks and twelve times better follow-through to retail. Publishers can now monetize entire backlists previously too expensive to market. This award celebrates Shimmr for solving publishing’s biggest challenge: connecting every book with its ideal audience at scale.

DIGITAL LEADER(SHIP) (powered by Zebralution Digital Publishing): Virginie Clayssen

From the laudatory speech of Laurent Le Meur, Director and CTO of EDRLab:

„Virginie Clayssen has been at the forefront of innovation, breaking barriers and building bridges between technology and culture. It was the case at Editis, where she served, among other roles, as Director of Innovation. But Virginie’s impact extends far beyond one company. In her role as President of the Digital Commission at the Syndicat National de l’Édition, Virginie became the voice of the French publishing industry in the digital age. And under her leadership, EDRLab became a hub for collaboration, a place where publishers, tech experts, and cultural institutions came together to push the boundaries of what’s possible.“